ShareGorillaz performing their The Mountain Tour at The Motorpoint Arena Nottingham on Saturday 28th March 2026.
Review by Kevin Cooper
Seeing the four iconic cartoon characters appearing on the huge arena screens one by one and hearing the sold out crowd cheer with delight at the sight of each one of them was a flying start to Saturday night when the alternative virtual rock band, Gorillaz, came to the Motorpoint Arena.
The band have been a beloved collective for over a quarter of a century since Blur’s Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett paired to create something that even today is still evolving. Touring to promote their latest album, the Indian inspired The Mountain, the set list for this visually stunning show contained songs where global music met hip hop and Albarn’s psychedelic spirituality whilst also weaving in plenty of throwback fans favourites.
Opening with the title track of the album, the enchanting flautist Ajay Prasanna alongside the equally great Kayam Hussain on tabla set the tone for the evening. Soon after, they delivered their latest single The Happy Dictator which saw the crowd embark upon their first sing along. There were other songs from the album such as the stirring rendition of The Empty Dream Machine and Delirium with its deeply spiritual lyrics which still managed to became a rowdy anthem thanks to the pulsating pink strobes.
Gorillaz are famed for having a plethora of guests both in real life and on screen and Saturday night was no exception. American rapper Yasiin Bey brought a lot of punch to a gnarling rendition of Stylo and he stayed on stage to start an Arabic language dance party for Damascus.
Other Gorillaz classics included the tear jerking On Melancholy Hill, the up tempo El Manana and fans favourite Andromeda. Dirty Harry with guest Bootie Brown set the crowd alight before the main set came to a close with The Shadowy Light and The Sad God which saw the arena illuminated with phone torches.
Albarn with his twelve incredibly talented musicians came back for a five song encore which included Kara Jackson’s poignant duet on Orange County, Feel Good Inc which featured some frantic rapping from De La Soul’s Posdnuos before the evening was brought to a close with Sweetie Irie delivering the big upbeat dance electro rap sing along of Clint Eastwood.
With the whole gig delivering what was a cinematic experience, combined with intricate music and magnificent visuals, Gorillaz had not only showcased a stunning performance, they had left the crowd with a night to remember.
